Vala

power, god, angelic power

Vala (1) noun "Power, God, angelic power", pl. Valar or Vali (BAL, Appendix E, LT2:348), described as "angelic governors" or "angelic guardians" (Letters:354, 407). The Valar are a group of immensely powerful spirits guarding the world on behalf of its Creator; they are sometimes called Gods (as when Valacirca, q.v., is translated "Sickle of the Gods"), but this is strictly wrong according to Christian terminology: the Valar were created beings. The noun vala is also the name of tengwa #22 (Appendix E). Genitive plural Valion "of the Valar" (FS, MR:18); this form shows the pl. Vali, (irregular) alternative to Valar (the straightforward gen. pl. Valaron is also attested, PE17:175). Pl. allative valannar *"to/on the Valar" (LR:47, 56; SD:246). Feminine form Valië (Silm), in Tolkiens earlier material also Valdë; his early writings also list Valon or Valmo (q.v.) as specifically masc. forms. The gender-specific forms are not obligatory; thus in PE17:22 Varda is called a Vala (not a Valië), likewise Yavanna in PE17:93. Vala is properly or originally a verb "has power" (sc. over the matter of Eä, the universe), also used as a noun "a Power" _(WJ:403). The verb vala- "rule, order", exclusively used with reference to the Valar, is only attested in the sentences á vala Manwë! "may Manwë order it!" and Valar valuvar "the will of the Valar will be done" (WJ:404). However, Tolkien did not originally intend the word Valar to signify "powers"; in his early conception it apparently meant "the happy ones", cf. valto, vald- (LT2:348)_. For various compounds including the word Vala(r), see below.

vala

noun. (Angelic) Power, ‘God’, Authority, (Angelic) Power, Authority, God

valandur

masculine name. *Servant of the Vala

Eighth king of Gondor (LotR/1038). His name is a compound of Vala and the suffix -(n)dur “-servant”.

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts, the name ᴹQ. Valandur was used for a possible third son of Isildur, but this character was rejected (TI/120).

valaróma

proper name. Horn of Oromë, *(lit.) Vala-horn

The name of Oromë’s horn (S/29), a compound of Vala and róma “horn”.

Conceptual Development: The first name given to this horn was Rombaras (MR/7).

valacar

masculine name. *Vala Helm

20th king of Gondor (LotR/1038). His name is a compound of Vala the suffixal form -car of carma “helm” (PE17/114).

Valacar

vala-helmet

Valacar masc. name, *"Vala-helmet"??? (Appendix A)

Valandil

god-friend, *vala-friend

Valandil masc. name, "God-friend, *Vala-friend" (Appendix A, UT:210, translated in LR:60)

Valandur

vala-servant

Valandur masc. name, *"Vala-servant" (Appendix A)

Valaróma

vala-horn

Valaróma noun "Vala-horn", Oromë's horn (Silm, MR:7)

Valatári

vala-queen

Valatári noun "Vala-queen" (BAL; this entry of the Etymologies states that Vala has no feminine form except this compound, but Silm gives Valië as a feminine form). The word Valatári is apparently also the unchanged plural form, so used in this quote: "The Valatári were Varda, Yavanna, Nienna, Vana, Vaire, Este, Nessa, Uinen" (BAL; Tolkien later reclassified Uinen as a Maia, not a Valatári/Valië). Notice that the plural form of Valatar would apparently also be *Valatári.

valanya

noun. *Friday, Vala-day

vala-

verb. to rule

vala- (2) vb. "to rule", only with reference to the Valar (see Vala). Future tense valuva is attested (WJ:404)

vala-

verb. to have [divine] power

á vala manwë

may Manwë order it!

Valdë

female vala

Valdë noun "female Vala" (also Valis) (LT1:272, in Tolkien's later Quenya Valië, Valatári)

Valis

female vala

Valis noun "female Vala" (also Valdë) (LT1:272; in Tolkien's later Quenya Valië)

Valmo

male vala

Valmo noun "male Vala" (also Valon) (LT1:272; these forms may or may not be valid in Tolkien's later Quenya)

Valon

male vala

Valon noun "male Vala" (also Valmo) (LT1:272; these forms may or may not be valid in Tolkien's later Quenya)

valië

noun. Female Vala

Aino

god

Aino noun "god", within Tolkien's mythos a synonym of Ainu (but since Aino is basically only a personalized form of aina "holy", hence "holy one", it could be used as a general word for "god") (PE15:72)

heru-

verb. to rule

heru- vb. "to rule" (LT1:272; rather tur- in LotR-style Quenya)

aino

noun. god

balan

noun. Vala, Vala, [N.] Power, God

The Sindarin equivalent of Q. Vala, derived from the root √BAL “powerful, mighty” and having a plural form Belain (PE17/48). This plural appears as an element in the day-name Orbelain “✱Day of the Valar [Friday]” (LotR/1110). However, in a 1972 Letter Tolkien said this was actually a phonetic adaptation of the Quenya day-name Q. Valanya, an adjective (“✱of the Vala”) not existing in Sindarin (Let/427), presumably because it conflicts with the plural of Balan.

Conceptual Development: N. Balan “Power, God” (both male and female) appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√BAL with a Noldorin-style plural Belein or Belen (Ety/BAL). The (nasal-mutated) Sindarin-style plural appeared in the name N. Cerch iMbelain “Sickle of the Gods” under the entry for ᴹ√KIRIK (Ety/KIRIK).

Earlier still, in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, Tolkien had both G. Ban “a god” (GL/21) and G. Gwala “one of the Gods, including their divine folk and Children, hence often used of one of the lesser folk as opposed to Ban” (GL/44). The first of these was derived from the early root ᴱ√VANA having to do with beauty (QL/99) and the second from the early root ᴱ√gwal “fortune, happiness” (GL/44). The entry for Ban was deleted from the Gnomish Lexicon itself, but presumably these two early words were blended into later N./S. Balan.

rodon

noun. Vala

A Sindarin term for the Vala (PE17/33), appearing in its plural form S. Rodyn as one of the days of the week (LotR/1110) and also in the Sindarin name for Valinor: Dor-Rodyn (MR/200). It is derived from the prefixal form rod- of raud “noble” (PE17/118, 186). Its final element might be the augmentative suffix -on, perhaps literally meaning “✱Most Noble”. It could also be the agental suffix -on, as suggested by David Salo (GS/283), but that suffix is usually masculine (WJ/400), whereas Rodon seems to apply to all Valar.

balan

Vala

pl1. Belain** ** n. Vala.

balan

noun. Vala, divine power, divinity

rodon

noun. Vala, divinity

balan

vala

(i Valan), pl. Belain (i Melain). In ”Noldorin”, the pl. form used with the article was "iMbelain" (LR:365 s.v. KIRIK).

rodon

vala

1. Rodon (pl. Rodyn, coll. pl. Rodonnath), 2) Balan (i Valan), pl. Belain (i Melain). In ”Noldorin”, the pl. form used with the article was "iMbelain" (LR:365 s.v. KIRIK).

rodon

vala

(pl. Rodyn, coll. pl. Rodonnath)

fân

manifested body of a vala

fân (veil, cloud), construct fan, pl. fain.

fân

manifested body of a vala

fân (veil, cloud), construct fan, pl. fain

fân

manifested body of a vala

fân (veil, cloud), construct fan, pl. fain.

fân

manifested body of a vala

(veil, cloud), construct fan, pl. fain.

fân

manifested body of a vala

(veil, cloud), construct fan, pl. fain

Eru

god

(the One) #Eru, isolated from Eruchín** **"children of the One" (= Elves and Men; sg. *Eruchen).

aenor

noun. god

A neologism for “a god” opposed to “God” (Eru), based on Gnomish ain. A direct adaptation of the Gnomish form would be aen, but that conflicts with aen “should be”; Fiona Jallings suggested the extended form aenor in a Discord chat in August 2019.

bâl

divine power

construct bal, pl. bail (divinity). Note: the word can also be used as an adj. "divine".

eru

noun. God

eru

god

isolated from Eruchín "children of the One" (= Elves and Men; sg. ✱Eruchen).

tûr

power

tûr (i dûr, o thûr, construct tur) (victory, mastery, control; master, victor, lord), pl. tuir (i thuir), coll. pl. túrath.

tûr

power

(i dûr, o thûr, construct tur) (victory, mastery, control; master, victor, lord), pl. t**uir (i th**uir), coll. pl. túrath.

baldor

proper name. *Vala-king

A rejected Noldorin equivalent of ᴹQ. Valatar “Vala-king” appearing alongside (masculine and feminine?) variants Baldron and Benenil in The Etymologies from the 1930s (EtyAC/TĀ). It seems to be a combination of the root ᴹ√BAL and the suffix -dor “king”.

balan

noun. Vala, divine power, divinity

balan

noun. Power, God

balâ

noun. *Vala (draft)

An earlier version of the Adûnaic word for Q. Vala (SD/344), later replaced by Avalâi >> Avalôi. It is only attested in its plural form Balâi.

avalô

noun. Power, God

An Adûnaic noun translated as “God” or “Power” (SD/247, 305), the equivalent of (and possibly derived from) Q. Vala. It is probably pronounced [awalō], since the sound [w] in Adûnaic was sometime written “v” (SD/434). It frequently appeared in its plural or subjective plural forms Avalôi(m) “Powers, Gods”.

Conceptual Development: In early drafts of Adûnaic its plural was Avalâi with a long â instead of ô, perhaps indicating an earlier singular form Avalâ closer to Vala. Earlier still this word was given as plural Balāi, a more direct derivative of the Elvish root form ᴹ√BAL.

¤kurwē

noun. power, ability